Bollywood's Future Market

It is often said that Bollywood is India’s greatest brand ambassador all over the globe perhaps even giving the Taj Mahal a run for its money. However, South Korea has been largely left untouched by Bollywood thus far. This is likely to chage in the coming years.

 Many Indians viewing the South Korea-filmed Gangster were enthralled by the exotic locales and jazzy trains that looked far different from anything Bollywood had used as a backdrop in the past. This was the first Bollywood movie that was filmed in Korea – it was also the last.

 Last week I had an engaging discussion with Charm Lee, head of the South Korean Tourism Organization, and five of my colleagues. Lee, a tall, well-built German who now calls South Korea home, seemed taken aback by the number of Bollywood questions I presented him with. He conceded that the South Korean government was seriously considering the possibility of promoting Korea as a film shooting destination, though the West and even Southeast Asian countries had a clear lead over South Korea in the contest.

China too is already known to have started work on developing an entire island as a film shooting hub, something Lee asked his advisors to take note of. Lee also conceded that a major issue plaguing the effort was the acute shortage of hotel rooms in Korea, which limited its ability to attract big functions like Bollywood’s IIFA awards that are usually held in Macau.

Brand Bollywood’s penetration of the South Korean market is an idea whose time has come. Films like Krissh, Kal Ho Na Ho, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Rang De Basanti have earned millions of dollars from overseas markets, and among Bollywood films are already catching on among the PSY-crazed South Korean youth, who know Bollywood actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan quite well. 

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Top 10 Most Steal Attention Korean Actors

South Korean entertainment industry is booming. Serial drama and cinema films made ​​in the country's ginseng is sold not only in his country alone. As a result, with high production in Korea, the world of entertainment never stopped giving birth young actors.

Nevertheless, the presence of senior actors also still get a place in the hearts of his fans. Here are 10 actors who are considered the best and most popular.

With a charming smile, hair style and also his acting skills, the actor is able to steal the hearts of the fans, especially women. Who are they?

1. Jang Geun Suk
Men born August 4, 1987 is in the first position. He began to steal the show when acting as Kim Eun-Ho in the series 'Hwang Jin-i'. However, his name increasingly flying and became an idol star Taekyung since served as a rocker in the serial 'You're Beautiful' with Park Shin Ye.

Jang Geun Suk also known as a versatile artist. Started his career as a model, he now started to spread the world of acting and singing. He also succeeded in three areas. Bids for the bids kept coming this long-haired man. Finally, he served as musicians in the series 'Mary Stayed Out All Night'. Now, he was getting ready to act in the movie 'You're My Pet'.

2. Won Bin

Won Bin That one guy's face is of course no stranger to public water land. Face handsome guy born 10 November 1977 has been frequently wara-Wiri in glass screen with acting that good. And most impressive was his acting along with Song Hye Kyo in blue confuse the famous series 'Endless Love'.

This man also played in the film that comes thanks to the cooperation between Korea-Japan entitled 'Friend'. In the film, Won Bin's acting collided with a famous Japanese actress, Kyoko Fukada. Now, his face was not seen again starred in the Korean series. Won Bin was concentrating to go international through the Hollywood film industry.

3. Kim Hyun Joong

Kim Hyun JoongThe name of this man formerly known as the frontman Korean boyband, SS501. However, his acting is compelling in the series 'Boys Over Flowers' made man who was born June 6, 1986 is increasingly popular. His role as Ji Hoo in the series, produced by Japanese comic "Hana Yori Dango 'is making his name increasingly taken into account.

After successfully through the series which also popularized Hoo Lee Min, Kim Hyun Joong plays in the series 'Playful Kiss'. He also starred in several advertisements.

4. Lee Min Ho

Lee Min HoAlthough it had starred in several series, name of Lee Min Ho began to publicly known since he played in the serial Gun Jun Pyo 'Boys Over Flowers'. Youngest of two brothers is now a famous artist.

His name was not publicly known only Korea but also in several other Asian countries including Indonesia. Men born June 22, 1987 it was already a famous artist. And his name is growing in popularity since appearing in the series 'Personal Taste'.

Acting in the serial was made the acting ability of a man who never had an accident is increasingly taken into account. Currently he is preparing to shoot new drama 'City Hunter'. Similar to other Korean actor, Lee Min Ho also has aspirations to go international. He also began to prepare early on, including an English course.

5. Bae Yong Jun

Bae Yong JunHe is one of the senior actor. His name was publicly known homeland since starred in the series 'Winter Sonata' with actress Choi Ji Woo. But first he had also managed to steal the Korean public's attention through his roles in 'Sunny Place of The Young' and 'First Love'.

His appearance was that impressed taciturn make himself into a cult of women. The fans have a special call for the man who was born August 29, 1972. Fans call Bae Yong Jun as BYJ.

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An Interview with Mr. Kim Dong Ho

The Pusan International Film Festival is an enchanting window to the magnificent world of Asian cinema. In a short span of nine years, it has become one of the most important film festivals in Asia. Its soaring popularity can be judged from the fact that leading film festival directors as well as programmers from all over the world, make it a point to attend its numerous screenings in order to select the best Asian films for their own festivals.

The festival has attained worldwide popularity thanks to the indefatigable efforts of its founder director Mr. Kim Dong Ho who has been associated with this event ever since its inception in 1996. Mr. Kim is a true champion of Asian cinema. He believes that Asian cinema, especially young Asian filmmakers, must be promoted globally. He attends major international film festivals in order to showcase the best of world cinema for South Korean cinephiles.

Many Asian filmmakers have profited enormously from Mr. Kim Dong Ho's initiatives within the framework of the Pusan International Film Festival. During his tenure as director of Pusan International Film Festival, a project market with associated production funds called the Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) was initiated. Its beneficiaries include prominent Asian filmmakers like Fruit Chan, Garin Nugroho, Nguyen Vo Minh, Shunji Iwai, Junji Sakamoto, Darejan Omirbayev, Aktan Abdykalikov etc.

Young Asian filmmakers are indebted to Mr. Kim as he has been instrumental in the establishment of the "Asian Film Academy". The setting up of this institution is one of Mr. Kim's gifts to Asian cinema.

A soft spoken gentleman, Mr. Kim Dong Ho spoke to Lalit Rao in New Delhi, India where he attended the 7th Osian Cinefan Asian Film Festival 2005.

Your festival, Pusan International Film Festival was launched in 1996. Under what circumstances was this festival created? What were the reasons for starting it?

In 1995 three professors in Pusan asked me to prepare and establish an international film festival in Pusan. Before starting Pusan International Film Festival, several seminars and meetings were organised as part of preparations to establish an international film festival in Pusan. I was also involved in the preparations of a new festival.

What was your role in Pusan International Film Festival? What were your functions? In what capacity were you working at that time?

As Pusan International Film Festival is a festival that has been established in the Asian region, we planned to focus on Asian films especially to discover promising new Asian films and directors. We wanted to introduce these filmmakers abroad. We would like to support film making in Asian countries. It is with this view in mind that we launched the Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) from the third edition of the Pusan International Film Festival in 1998. It was a great success. The reason why PIFF has grown bigger and bigger during a short period of time is that we have a very appropriate strategy. We have received tremendous support for our programmes as well as our projects.

When you started Pusan International Film Festival in 1995, South Korean cinema was not getting too much success in South Korea as there were too many American films being shown. How did your festival fight the dominance of American cinema in South Korea?

There are two factors which helped us fight the dominance of American cinema in South Korea. Firstly, we had a screen quota system. According to this system the owner of a cinema has to screen South Korean films for a period of 146 days in a year. Thanks to this screen quota system South Korean films were able to achieve tremendous success at the box office, as it was mandatory for them to be shown for 146 days. Thus we can say that screen quota system contributed enormously to promote South Korean cinema. Secondly since the 1980s numerous young film directors who studied abroad as well as at various universities in South Korea began influencing South Korean cinema. They began making films, distributing films. The young generation of Korean filmmakers made films of diverse kinds, different genres. This helped us to tackle the control of American cinema in South Korea .

You spoke of the Pusan Promotion Plan. Is it meant only for South Korean films? Can Asian films benefit from it?

Usually we select 23 Asian projects including 2-3 South Korean film projects. So most of the films which profit from the Pusan Promotion Plan are Asian films.

The Circle Could you please give some examples of Asian films which have benefited from the Pusan Promotion Plan?

I can mention The Circle directed by Iranian cineaste Jafar Panahi. It was shown in 2000 during the 5th Pusan International Film Festival. This film won the best film award at the 2000 Venice Film Festival. Beijing Bicycle by Wang Xiaoshuai also received funds from the Pusan Promotion Plan. This film was awarded the Jury Grand Prix award as well as the New Talent award at the 2001 Berlin International Film Festival. This year, Three Times by Hou Hsiao Hsien was selected in the competition section of the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

Your festival is one of the leading film festivals in South Korea. Apart from PIFF, there are other film festivals in South Korea like Jeonju International Film Festival and the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival. How different is your festival from these festivals?

In general, Pusan International Film Festival invites the best quality films from all over the world. Puchon is a fantastic film festival. This festival shows films belonging to genre of fantastic films. Jeonju Film Festival is an alternative film festival. It usually screens many digital as well as independent films. That is the difference between these festivals and Pusan.

Could you please tell us more about the film market at Pusan International Film Festival. How does this market conduct its business?

Three years ago we established a small Asian film market. Last year we invited around 30 film distribution companies from various Asian countries to participate in this market. We would like to enlarge the scale of Asian film market at this year's PIFF (October 6-14, 2005).

These days South Korean cinema is doing extremely well on an international level. South Korean directors like Hong Sang-soo, Park Chan-wook and Kim Ki-duk are achieving tremendous success at various international film festivals. How have these directors responded to Pusan International Film Festival? Has the festival shown their films? What is the response to South Korean cinema which is gaining international success at PIFF?

Most of Kim Ki-duk's films have been shown at Pusan as world premieres. He has made some of his films through the Pusan Promotion Plan. PIFF has discovered many promising South Korean directors, especially Lee Chang-dong [pictured below]. His film Peppermint Candy was the opening film at the 4th Pusan Film Festival in 1999.

Lee Chang-dong Every film festival strives to achieve success. You cannot achieve success without the support of the national government. What kind of help has PIFF received from the South Korean government, especially from the Ministry of Culture?

The new government has been helpful from the the beginning. [In 2003,] Lee Chang-dong was appointed as Minister of Culture. It is rather sad that he worked for only 1.5 years. He resigned regrettably so early. I guess he wanted to help not only the South Korean film industry but also other cultural fields in South Korea. Thus it is difficult to say what has been the government's contribution to the South Korean film industry.

At Pusan, international guests get a chance to watch the latest South Korean films. How does PIFF help the Korean audience to know more about the current trends in world cinema?

The main purpose of the Pusan Film Festival is to introduce South Korean films abroad. Our contribution in that regard is much more significant than that of other film festivals. Before the launch of PIFF only three South Korean films were shown at the Cannes Film Festival during its 50 year history. After the establishment of the Pusan Film Festival, the Cannes festival director and directors of various sections came to Pusan in order to select South Korean films for their festival. In 1998, four or five South Korean films were shown at Cannes. Last year there were six South Korean films at Cannes 2004.

It is true that PIFF helps to promote Asian cinema. There are however certain Asian countries like Iraq, Afghanistan etc. whose films have not yet achieved global recognition. What is Pusan Film Festival's course of action in order to reveal these relatively lesser known film industries?

From the outset our primary objective is to reveal new Asian directors. We wish to introduce their films abroad, especially in European countries. Every year we show about 100 Asian films at Pusan. Most European film festival directors as well as programmers attend Pusan in order to select Asian films for their festivals.

Kim Dong-ho As the director of PIFF, do you have complete freedom? Do you always get a chance to choose the films you wish to show, organize the programmes you want to showcase at your festival?

As the director of the Pusan Film Festival, I have enjoyed complete freedom ever since its creation. In 1996 when the first edition of PIFF was launched, there was still a censorship system in South Korea. We asked the government not to create any censorship problems for the films chosen for the festival. Since then, we haven't had censorship problems for the films which we have shown.

Do Asian films awarded at Pusan Film Festival get a commercial release in South Korea?

One of the biggest production and distribution companies in South Korea, CJ Entertainment, selects five non-commercial Asian films for commercial distribution. This company purchases rights to broadcast and distribute these films for South Korea's domestic market.

Do television and other cultural bodies in South Korea play any role in the production of films?

No, we don't have that kind of system in South Korea. One can find this system in France and also in Germany, where television helps out in the production of films.

Could you please tell us more about PIFF's audience. What kind of audience do you have at the festival? Are these viewers film buffs?

80% of our audience at Pusan is in their teens and in their twenties. In a way, we can say that we have a very young audience for our festival.

Please tell us more about the competition section at your festival. How many films do you select?

At Pusan there is only one competition section. This is meant for those new young Asian directors who are presenting their first or second films. For this competition section we select only 11 films. Sometimes we select up to 13 films, including one or two films from South Korea.

The first edition of PIFF was organised in 1996. Last year we saw the organization of its 9th edition. Do you think that over the years Pusan International Film Festival has grown bigger and bigger? Are there things still to be achieved by the festival?

I guess we are trying to improve more and more. I am not sure of the future, but we are trying our best.

PIFF 2005 What would be the highlights of the 10th edition of Pusan International Film Festival (6-14 October, 2005)?

We will be showing 30 masterpieces of Asian cinema. There will also be a retrospective of the late Lee Man-hee's films. We will also have a focus on British films.

British films -- Ken Loach, Mike Leigh?

Yeah, yeah!!

Thank you very much for having given us a chance to speak to you!

Thank you.


This interview originally published at http://koreanfilm.org

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Kim Ki-duk retro at MoMA (NY)

April 23–May 8, 2008

The Department of Film presents the first complete U.S. retrospective of writer-director Kim Ki-Duk (b. 1960, Bonghwa), a self-taught maverick Korean filmmaker whose work has enriched international cinema with its luminous intensity. This fourteen-film exhibition includes several features never before seen in the U.S., giving audiences a rare chance to chart the development of the director's sensuous, sensational imagery and wild and haunting narratives.

Kim Ki-Duk was a factory worker, soldier, priest-in-training, and, between 1992 and 1995, a street artist in France, where he discovered cinema through films like Leos Carax's Les amants de Pont-Neuf and Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs (both 1991). After winning a screenwriting competition in Korea, Kim was able to make, without any formal training, his first feature, Crocodile (1996). Kim's debut film, long out of circulation, heralded the arrival of a furious young self-taught talent with a vision that, brutal though it is, is grounded in redemption. Over the next eleven years, thirteen more films followed, including three of his best-known films in the United States, the libidinous The Isle (2000), the Buddhist-inflected Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003), and an elliptical treatise on invisibility, 3-Iron (2004).

Kim's films cohere into a vivid and compelling body of work characterized by sweeping camera movements and long, richly composed shots. They are populated by characters, uneasy in their social situations, who adopt silence as a protection and whose reactions tend to be brutal; what distinguishes these narratives is what follows this savagery. His films take place in a world sometimes circumscribed by water, but always situated in a cinematic space a couple of degrees sharper than reality. All films are directed by Kim, from South Korea, and in Korean with English subtitles, unless otherwise noted.

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Organized by Laurence Kardish, Senior Curator, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art; and Hahn Dong-Sin, founder, Open Work, New York. This retrospective is presented in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Service (Song Soo-Keun, Director), New York, and with the support of the Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Korean Film Council, and Korean Film Archive in Seoul. The Department of Film is grateful to the Korean producers of Kim Ki-Duk's films (Cineclick Asia, Prime Entertainment, Dauri Entertainment) and the American distributors (Tartan Films, Sony Pictures Classics, Lifesize, Empire Pictures) for the loan of 35mm English subtitled prints for this retrospective.

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